The Bot and the Fanboy
by cherii tomato
Summary: It all started when she arrived at my doorstep. "Hi, my brother is in love with your sister but he's too stubborn to admit it." Oh, and she ruined my mom's rug. And she's an Xbot. And she beat me in my own games. Triple threat much?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice and its characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. Assassin's Creed belongs to Ubisoft. Burnout Paradise belongs to EA. PS3 belongs to Sony. Xbox belongs to Microsoft. Am I missing anything else?**

* * *

::The Bot and The Fanboy::

by

::Madame Awkward::

* * *

-1-

* * *

_Counter. __Dodge. Defense break. Grab break. Counter. Combo attack. Strong attack. Step._

That's the mantra I repeat to myself while my fingers expertly mash the buttons on my controller. My eyes are on the television, watching the man in white hood chop up all those soldiers around him. I've lost count after number twelve. But the soldiers just won't stop coming.

_Grab, throw. Block. Counter._

I watch as Altair grabs the soldier in front of him and hurls him into the sea. Another soldier attacks him from behind and delivers a blow onto his back, making him lose two life-bars. I curse while I take my revenge. A counter attack and a beautiful cut scene ensues, showing Altair maiming the man's arm with his dagger before killing him off with a slice on the neck.

All of a sudden, I hear the door receiving three consecutive knocks. "Mikan!" I call, only to remember that my sister's out for the evening. Sighing, I press the 'start' button to pause the game and get up from the sofa, stretching the sore muscles in my neck from that very uncomfortable position.

Pulling the door open, I see a girl standing there. Black hair, red eyes. I recognize her as the girl in my school. Sister to the most popular student in Alice Academy, Natsume Hyuuga, I rack my brain hard to remember her name. Aki? Naomi? Despite the popularity of her brother, this girl —whatever her name is— however, does not inherit his popularity.

"Hi there!" She greets enthusiastically. I narrow my eyes at her. I don't know her that well, and I have a feeling that the feeling's mutual. Sure we share a few classes together, but that doesn't mean I know every single student I share classes with.

I look at many people, but that doesn't mean that I want to get to know them.

The girl shuffles her feet uncomfortably. "Youichi! Hi! Umm… Well… You see, uh… Can I come in first?" Great, I don't know her, and she's asking to come into my house.

"No." I drawl before slamming the door shut. Points for me being nice in my entire life: negative six million.

Right after the door was slammed, that girl continues to knock on it. I choose to ignore it and return to my game. Unfortunately, however, that girl is consistent as the door continues to sound from her fists and slaps, top it off with her calling, "Hey, Youichi! Open up!"

She continues to knock on the door while I smash on the buttons. Five minutes pass before I see Altair lying on the ground. Dead.

"Fuck!" I curse loudly. Fifteen minutes of hard work gone down the drain just like that. Whirling my head around, I glared at the door murderously. And it's all her fault!

I throw my controller onto the sofa and walk towards the door and yank the door open. The girl's face is facing the floor, her hand suspended in mid air. Just when it's about to come down on me, expecting to meet a wooden door, I slap it away with as much force as possible.

She looks up at me with both surprise and relief. "Hey there, Youichi! What took you so long?"

Not 'why did you slap my hand away like that?'. "That's Yukihira to you." I say coldly. However, she does not look the least bit intimidated by it. The girl pouts cutely and yes, I have still yet to remember what her full name is.

"Oh, come on, Youichi. We've been classmates since elementary school! And I share five classes with you." Raising five fingers in front of me, she begins to name out the classes we share. "Homeroom, history, art, music, English. And yet I still can't call you by your first name? Oh! _And _I'm your neighbor from down the street."

"I don't take music." I retort. Well, it's somewhat of the truth. Whenever there's music class, I'm either sleeping through the lesson or skipping it altogether. I doubt that Ms. Serina is happy about it.

"Let's forget about that thing. I'm here on important business."

I snort disbelievingly. Important business my ass. But wanting her to leave me alone, I sigh and lean against the door frame. "State it and leave."

"Well, can I please come in first?"

"State your matters and leave." Why is this girl so hard-headed? She's beginning to remind me of my sister. And that's when I remember her name.

Aoi Hyuuga.

She lets out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Well, you see. My brother is in love with your sister but he's too stubborn to admit it."

I want to say 'So stubbornness runs in the family.' But I bite it back. An eyebrow of mine quirks upwards. "So?" I'm not exactly surprised at this piece of information. Everyone in Alice Academy knows that there's a strong sexual tension between Natsume Hyuuga and my sister, Mikan Yukihira. No big deal. It's just that one's too stubborn to admit it while the other is too dumb to notice it.

My sister will never be known for her brains. I can bet on that.

Aoi Hyuuga rolls her red eyes prettily, which makes me wonder about her genes. I mean, who in the world has natural red eyes? Except for the Hyuugas and some albinos. The Hyuugas don't look albino since they all have normal, Asian black hair and if I remember correctly, Natsume Hyuuga has a nice tan. But Aoi Hyuuga on the other hand, has rather pasty, sickly skin. Hmm... I wonder...

"Youichi," —"Yukihira."— "Right, _Yukihira_. Please. I'm tired of my brother acting so—so—so unhealthy! He practically wants to murder every single guy that is not standing at least a mile away from your sister."

"I live with her under the same roof. So does my dad." I chuckle inwardly at my own wits. Youichi Hijiri Yukihira, you are a genius!

Aoi Hyuuga groans at this. "Youichi!" —"Yukihira."— "Youichi Yukihira! Stop your witty remarks will you? You should be helping your sister! I mean, we can all tell that she likes my brother. I'm sure you know it too!"

"Look Hyuuga," I notice that Natsume's sister is actually really pretty. Nice face, nice eyes, perfect teeth, nice body. Looks like stubbornness is not the only trait that runs in the family. "Don't get me wrong. I like my sister. She's a fun person to hang out with, despite being a bit too loud for my liking. But I don't give a damn about her love life. I have a life myself. I do not like to, and I will not act like, and I certainly will not want to I give a damn about it. Besides, they have friends. Let them do their job. That Koko dude, that Shouda girl, Mochu and other silly hillbillies. Not Imai, Imai's too cool for this."

She glares at me. Yeah, keep glaring sweetie. As if I'll be afraid of you little girl. I refrain myself from rolling my eyes, despite how tempting it is.

Suddenly, Hyuuga takes a step into my house and takes a look. Her shoes are stepping on Mother's prized rug. Shit! Shit! Shit!

"Hyuuga! What the hell do you think you are doing? Get your feet off of the rug!" Oh boy, this is bad. Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! She better not have any mud on her shoes or I'll be deader than my great-great-great grandfather.

"I knew it!" She exclaims. "I knew I heard something familiar when I was knocking on your door! You're playing _Assassin's Creed_! I knew it!" She's jumping up and down, oh, this is getting worse. "You have an Xbox?"

"No, I have a PS3; _NOW GET OFF OF THAT RUG_!" I try to push her away but for a girl with the size of a twig, she sure is heavy.

Her face scrunches up in disgust. "Eww, a PS3 fanboy? Jesus, my opinion of you have just changed dramatically."

I stop what I'm doing and stare at her. The only people who will call PS3 fanboys and hate them is no doubt... "An Xbot? Fuck, get out of my house!"

I see that she is getting ready to retort but she closes her eyes and mouth, putting her hands up with the palm facing me. A sign of surrender. "Wait, I'm not here to argue with you about which console is the best —but obviously the Xbox is _way_ better than the PS— but 'm here on behalf of my brother. I would like to, with your help, set my brother and your sister up on a date."

"I said no you silly girl. Now leave!" I yell at her. Oh boy, that rug is fucking WHITE.

The cute pout of hers appears on her lips again as she turns around to look at the stack of games on the coffee table.

"You have _Burnout Paradise_?" She inquires. Her question caught me off guard and I look at her. "Yeah, sure I do." At the mention of one of my favourite games have temporarily made me forget about the rug and also the fact that the girl in front of me is an Xbot- I mean an Xbox lover.

"Tell you what, let's play a game of _Burnout. _You win, I'll leave you alone; I win, you team up with me to set those two dimwits up." Aoi Hyuuga stretches out a hand towards me. She's smiling and boy does it look beautiful on her. "Deal?"

This girl doesn't know what she's doing. Challenging me to a game of_ Burnout Paradise_ will be the biggest mistake of her life. I smirk and accept her hand into a handshake. "You're on."

* * *

That was very pointless. But I've always wanted to write something about gaming. No, I'm no hardcore gamer but I do like playing them  
Yes, I am a PS3 fan. No, I do not hate Xbox. I have a friend who owns one.  
Yes, I adore Assassin's Creed. No, I don't have Burnout Paradise. I want to get the game though. :D

PS: Have you watched the E3 Assassin's Creed Brotherhood? Oh my god! It's sooo awesome! Epic!

**Review? Even if its horrible? (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Refer to the previous chapter.**

* * *

::The Bot and The Fanboy::

by

::Madame Awkward::

* * *

-2-

* * *

"Youichi!" Mikan screams from downstairs. "Get your ass down here, now! Or we're going to be late." Only to have our mother chastise her for the use of the word 'ass', which she apologises for.

Grumbling under my breath, I grab my bag from my room and fling my school jacket over my shoulders, not bothering to insert my arms into the sleeves. I was still blissfully asleep ten minutes ago, only to have my slumber interrupted by a very, very, unbelievably loud sister.

"Youichi!" she screams again. It's seven forty-five in the morning and I highly doubt that most people in our neighborhood are fully awake. Well, at least before my sister started screaming, they were probably still sleeping or only half awake. She should consider becoming a rooster, for I am sure that it will be a job she'll excel in.

"G'morning." I mumble a greeting to her and my mom once I see them. My mom replies with a 'good morning' before exiting the house with her car keys, briefcase and a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup in hand. I crinkle mt nose at that. I mean, besides for the use during a party, who uses Styrofoam cups at home?

Mikan is standing at the bottom of the stairs, as usual. An irritated expression is plastered onto the face as she stands there with her hands on hips, her feet is tapping impatiently against the wooden floor, creating a rapid loud thumping by her Mary Janes. She is in her perfect, neat, creaseless uniform and her hair is tied into a high ponytail. What a goody-goody-two-shoes.

"Morning, loudmouth." I greet her, which she replies with a rough pull on my arm while stuffing a bun into my hand.

"We're going to be late, sleepyhead. Eat this in the car." I shrug and throw the bun into my bag. Breakfast at seven forty-five in the morning? No thanks.

I walk out of the house and towards the car where my mother is waiting in the driver's seat. Her cell phone is stuck to her ear while she takes a sip from her Styrofoam cup. Seeing me nearing the car, she throws me a brief smile before opening her mouth to talk into her cell. I pull open the rear passenger door before getting into the car. The only sound that could be heard was the car's engine and my mom's voice.

My sister gets into front passenger seat a few minutes later and mom says a hasty goodbye to whomever she's having a conversation.

"Ready?" She asks. Mikan throws our mom her blindingly bright grin while I grunt a reply. My mom casts me a glance from the rear view mirror before driving us off to school.

* * *

The journey to our school takes ten minutes. Once we're there, Mikan and I say our goodbyes to our mother and see her drive away.

I turn around, preparing to step into the school building when I feel I hard pull on my arm, only to find my sister dragging me to the side of the building, where it is a deserted alley. She pushes me to the wall and studies me like I'm some sort of specimen. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest.

"What the hell? What do you want, Mikan?" I ask in a low voice. She makes no comment and continues to stare. The feeling of her eyes on me is by no means comfortable.

"What's wrong?" she opens her mouth to ask. I look up at her from my bangs and quirk an eyebrow. "Something is bothering you. Ever since I came home on Saturday, you've been acting strange. Well, actually. You being moody and emo is not strange, but I can sense that you are not you usual emoness. There's something bothering you. What is it?"

I scoff inwardly. Oh, nothing really. It's just that I, being the master of gaming, had just got my butt kicked. By a girl. Who is an Xbot. She own'd me in pretty much every game I own_. Burnout Paradise_, _Grid_, _Tekken 6_, _Midnight Club Los Angeles_. And if she was speaking the truth, she even finished _Final Fantasy XIII_ in less than five days. Including all the missions, getting all the achievements.

Hell, she's even better than me in _Little Big Planet_. Which is a game _exclusive_ for the PS3.

To put it short, my reputation is officially ruined.

Besides all that, everything is all sugar and rainbows.

"Nothing." I reply grimly. But I know Mikan will not buy it. She never does. She might never be known for her brains, but she can sniff out emotions like a dog sniffing out for its bone. It's one of her natural talents, I guess, among all others like being optimistic, hyper for all the damn time. She calls it her 'sixth sense', which I scoff at, but kindda agree.

She narrows her eyes till her brown eyes are hidden and all that's left are two thin line. Only to open them again with a sigh escaping her lips. "Youichi Hijiri Yukihira, you know my senses are always correct, now stop lying and tell me what's wrong."

Mikan places her soft hands on the eitehr side of my shoulders. The urge to slap them away is very strong, but I don't want to hurt my sister. She can be annoying sometimes, but I know it's because she cares for me. So instead, I lift them away gently and force out a smile.

"I'm just a bit stressed out." Mikan scoffs at my explanation and instantly, I know what's going through her mind and what she's going to say. "Hey, gaming is hard-work also. Some online players are really good and hard to beat."

Mikan eyes me skeptically and I'm praying to god that she'll but my pitiful excuse. In the end, she sighs and ruffles my hair. "You-chan, if it gets you this stressed out, then maybe you should stop playing those games of yours. It's not good for your health—"

I tune out whatever she's saying after that. It will be useless for me to tell her to stop because I know she won't. She talks too much. Too much for her own good. Too loud for her own good.

God damn it.

The school bell rings and I blow out a sigh which Mikan fails to notice. She stops her talking immediately and frowns, unhappy that her preachings have been interrupted, only to widen her eyes in shock at the realization that classes have started.

"Crap!" she exclaims. She reaches a hand to fix her tie and mine. "Right, Youichi, have to go. Get to class. Bye." And just like that she runs off, leaving me standing there all by myself.

Another sigh escapes my lips while I loosen my tie. First period of school usually meant homeroom. And homeroom means seeing Aoi Hyuuga once more. After what happened on Saturday, I'm not sure if I can face her with my head up high. Crap.

Loosening my tie once more, I take a stroll towards the school garden.

Ah well, Mr. Narumi will never mind.

* * *

The bell rings, signaling the end the fourth period and that it is recess. The teacher is droning onto something, probably giving us our homework, reminding us of the due dates of our assignment, which no one really pays attention to. I gather up my books and pens before exiting the class, where my friends, Usui, Takuma and Ichiro are waiting for me.

"You-man! I didn't see you in homeroom today!" Usui greets me with his sunny smile. I walk over to the gang and greet him with a one-armed hug. I greet the other two by bumping their fists lightly with mine.

"Yeah, I skipped it. Wasn't in the mood to see a tranny." The boys howl with laughter as we walk towards the canteen. We take a seat at our usual spot before Takuma walks away to bring us some food.

"I want lasagna!" Usui calls out cheerfully. I roll my eyes before scanning the room and spot a few girls nearby who are giggling while throwing glances at us. Oh well, what can I say? It's not our fault that we are irresistibly handsome. And no, I'm not being bias.

I turn my head towards the entrance and see a familiar girl walking into the canteen with her friend. I suck in a breath as I watch Aoi Hyuuga chats animatedly with her friend, giggling now and then. Usui and Ichiro are talking about some useless junk as I study her. Even from afar, Aoi Hyuuga is beautiful, no doubt about that. There's not a single trace of make-up on her face so her skin remains sickly pale. But the energy radiating from her and her glowing eyes indicates otherwise. Her white shirt is tucked neatly into her blue plaid skirt and a ribbon tied loosely around her neck. My eyes travel down south, pass her skirt to her creamy white legs. She might be shorter than me but her legs look incredibly long, and smooth.

But I dismiss those thoughts and turn away from her, reminding myself that underneath all that sugarcoating is a bad, bad, evil spawn of the devil Xbox.

Not long later, Takuma returns with a tray of food piling onto it. At the sight of food, Usui cheers and claps loudly. I see a few girls swooning at this from my peripheral view.

Tch, pathetic.

I pluck a can of Coke and a tuna mayo sandwich from the tray. After cracking the can open and peeling away the plastic that is covering the sandwich, I take a sip from the can and dive my teeth into the food. Usui's face is gleaming as he looks at his plate of lasagna before digging a fork into it, and exclaiming how delicious it looks. The rest of us shake our heads and chuckling almost inaudibly at the comical scene. Girls, however, sigh like a bunch of lovedrunk idiots and seem to be enjoying this scene.

I take another sip from the can before my eyes roam the canteen, searching for a certain devil's spawn, only to find her sitting at six tables away from us, her friend right beside her. Aoi Hyuuga digs her fork into her plate of spaghetti and twirls it around her food while she listens to her friend talks endlessly beside her.

Takuma, who is sitting beside me notices the absence of my attention from the three's conversation. Curious, his eyes follow my line of sight, only to find me staring at Aoi Hyuuga. A smirk crawls up his face.

"Say, You," I turn around to face Takuma who is also looking at Aoi Hyuuga. "Aoi Hyuuga is growing up beautifully eh?"

Takuma and I have been friends since kindergarten. So naturally, he knows Aoi for as long as I know her. I guess you can say that the three of us have been growing up together. Though like me, he doesn't really speak to her that much.

I give him a shrug and finish the last bites of my sandwich. Scrunching up the plastic wrap into the ball, I threw it onto the tray, along with an empty plate, which one held Ichiro's pizza.

Takuma continues to talk. "Maybe she's walking into the path of her brother, no? Well, Natsume Hyuuga has been popular since he was in elementary school. Aoi Hyuuga has always been… Hmm… I don't know, left out? But seeing her beauty showing bit by bit every day, perhaps she'll be as famous as her brother soon?"

I make no comment on that. Ichiro, however, hearing the mention of the name 'Natsume Hyuuga', decides to butt in. "Hey! That Natsume Hyuuga sure is famous! Even my eight years old sister knows who he is. Hell, she's even a member of his fan club! And to think that the Elementary Division is five miles away from ours."

The rest of us snicker at this. Draining the can of Coke, I throw it onto the tray, joining the piling stack of empty cans and plates.

We talk for a while until Takuma nudges my ribs, not too lightly.

"Fuck, Takuma! That hurt!" I mumble while rubbing my ribs that were ambushed by his elbow. The bespectacled blonde juts his head slightly to one side. Turning my head around, I see Aoi Hyuuga making her way across the room, heading towards us.

"Ciao, bro." Takuma chides before pulling Ichiro who is next to him out from the canteen. Usui follows suit, all the while chortling from laughter.

Bastards.

"Hi, Youichi." She greets politely and takes a seat on the chair that was occupied by Takuma thirty seconds ago,

Fuck! Get away from me you evil, evil bot! Do not, and I mean _do not_ contaminate me with your evil presence.

But instead of screaming that to her, I cross my arms across my chest and look away from her. Yes, I know I was staring at her just now, but she doesn't need to know that.

"For the umpteenth time, it is Yukihira, you dumb bimbo." I reply gruffly. But someone who can beat me in pretty much all the games I own is no dumb bimbo. You need skills to kick my ass. Figuratively and literally.

Aoi Hyuuga slaps my arm gently. "I'm not a dumb bimbo, you dork." I grunt a reply.

"What do you want, Hyuuga? Don't tell me you came all the way here just to rub your achievement in my face. If that's the case, go dunk your head in a toilet bowl." I glare at her before adding, "The reason why you won was because it was beginner's luck."

Instead of being offended, like how most girls would usually feel after hearing me insult them like that, she throws her head back and laughs. I see tears dotting the corner of her eyes. Great, there's even something wrong with her sense of humour.

"Youichi, gosh! You almost killed me back there!" She's still laughing. What the fuck is so funny about my insult?

"Good. Then I can dance around your grave."

"Seriously, Youichi. You and I both know that it was no beginner's luck. I started gaming on a Gameboy, when I was five. Then I moved onto the Xbox and then the 360. Beginner's luck? Yeah, right." She pauses her laughter for a moment, only to resume in once again. What the fuck is wrong with this girl?

Once she stops laughing, Aoi Hyuuga looks at me with her crimson eyes, sparkling with tears. "Youichi, seriously, you are just like my brother. Not only do you guys suck at gaming, your egos are bigger than Jupiter. And no, I'm not here to rub my achievement in your face. Girls don't do that. We are too smart and mature enough to not do that. Anyways, I was planning to tell you during homeroom, but you weren't there. Jeez, Youichi, isn't skipping Ms. Serina's class bad enough? Now you are skipping Mr. Narumi's?"

"Hyuuga, I'm not sure that Narumi can be addressed as a 'mister'." I'm currently wondering why in the world is recess so long today. "Now what do you want to tell me, you Bot?"

Aoi Hyuuga looks at me with an 'are-you-serious? (Sarcastic version)' way. "Yukihira," Oh? It's not 'Youichi' anymore? That took her long enough. "Can we please drop this PlayStation versus Xbox thing? God, stop being so immature will you?"

I roll my eyes and look away from her. Seeing that I'm making no effort to reply, Aoi Hyuuga continues to open her mouth and talk. "Look, I just thought out a plan yesterday. To get Natsume and Mikan together."

Oh right! There's the reason why I practically threw my reputation for being the greatest gamer down the drain. Because on a lovely, lovely Saturday afternoon, Aoi Hyuuga had decided that she wants to set up her brother, the cool stubborn-ass dude, and my sister, the dumb brunette—that's a first— together. On a date. So that they'll realize their love for each other and can live happily ever after. How romantic!

_Not!_

Dear Lord, what the hell have I gotten myself into?

"So, Youichi, are you free tonight?"

A little bit surprised, I raise an eyebrow at her. "Hyuuga, are you asking me out on a date?" I tease.

I feel another light slap on my arm and Hyuuga glares at me, her eyes narrowed. "Yukihira, don't flatter yourself, please. I need you to find a way to coax you sister out of the house tonight. Say, maybe like a walk with you? And then go to the nearby park. Natsume and I will be waiting for you there."

"For wha—" I begin my question. Only to be cut short by the shrill ringing of the bell, signaling that it's time to go back to class. Hyuuga immediately stands up from her seat.

"Oh dear. Recess is over already?" She mumbles to herself. "Have to get to class." She turns around to face me again. "I'll text you alright, on when to come out and all. Bye, Youichi." Just before she prances off to class, she reaches out a hand to squeeze mine gently. She tosses me a smile and walks away.

A little stupefied, I stare at her as she walks away and vanishes into the sea of people who are crowding the exit.

Sighing, I run my other hand through my hair and stand up from my chair. My hand just got squeezed by an Xbot. I walk out from the canteen and head towards the toilets.

I think I need to disinfect my hand.

* * *

At night, I'm sitting in front of the television watching some stupid soap opera while my sister sobs loudly when the female character says goodbye to her lover or something like that.

"You-chan… It's s-so s-sad. How can h-he p-possibly l-leave her l-like that?" Mikan blows her nose into a tissue paper. If I wasn't so annoyed, I would've found it being funny. I roll my eyes and stare at the wall. How can anyone watch something like this? It's horrendous! It's horrible! It's a disgrace to the movie industries! This type of shows should be banned.

But that's just me.

Just when I'm on the brink of insanity, my phone vibrates. I immediately pull it out from my pocket and peer into the screen.

_One new message._

I break into a grin. I assume that it is Takuma telling me the latest scores for the football match that is currently being played. I would've watched it, only if Mikan didn't decide to snatch the controller away and switched to a fucking soap opera. Unfortunately, Dad is currently out of town on a business trip. If he's here with me, he would've backed me up. Filled with anticipation, I press the view button

_Where are you?__–Aoi. H_

Oh, right… And there's her.

Groaning at the fact that it's not Takuma with the current scores of the match and scowling at the fact that it's the Xbot, my thumbs press rapidly on the keypad, typing out a reply. Reading it over one more time and feeling satisfied, I press the 'send' button.

_I'm at home.__ –Y. Yukihira_

I squeeze my phone tight. Fucking Xbot. But just seconds after the message was sent, the phone vibrates again.

_Well, get your ass to the park. We're waiting. –Aoi.H_

I find it funny how she decides to type our her first name in full and shorten her last name while I, on the other hand, shorten my first name and use my last name in full. I like being professional.

Oh well, anything is better than being stuck at home watching soaps.

I sit up from the couch and click my strained neck. Note to self, need to stop lying down on the couch in an uncomfortable position. I reach out a hand and snatch away the TV controller and switch it off, causing Mikan to cry in protest.

"Hey! Youichi! What the hell? Put it back on! George is about to be hit by a car! Youichi!"

"Mikan," I begin in a rather patronizing tone. "you are already dumb enough, aright? And watching soap operas is not going to benefit you in anyway. Not to mention, it will probably deteriorate your brain even further. So, come on, let's go out for a walk."

My sister pouts childishly and I roll my eyes at her behavior. She's already seventeen years old, older than me by two years and she's going to graduate from high school this year. Why the hell is she still acting like a seven-year-old is beyond me. Mikan reaches out a hand in an attempt to snatch the controller from my hand but I pull on her outstretched arm and throw the controller onto the sofa I was lying on.

"Youichi, I don't want to go for a walk." She moans but I ignore her. I pull her over to the coat rack and got our coats.

"We're going out for a walk, Mom!" I call out to my mother's who is on the first floor doing god-knows-what. Without waiting for her reply and ignoring Mikan's whines, I slam the door shut behind us.

* * *

For a night in the summer, the temperature outdoors is pretty chilly. Even with a leather jacket over my thick shirt, I can still feel the cold. I'm wearing a pair of shorts so the exposed part of my legs feel like they are being bitten by millions of tiny teeth, so does my face. I sink neck lower between my shoulders, hoping that this will somehow miraculously warm me by a little.

Beside me, Mikan is very well covered-up. She's in a shirt and a pair of trackpants and her coat reaches her knees. A scarf is wrapped around her neck and she doesn't look very happy, despite being at least two times warmer than I am. With the help of the streetlamps, I can see that her eyes are narrowed into a thin line and her mouth is constantly moving, probably muttering dark curses under her breath.

I dig my hands deeper into my pocket and walk on, with Mikan trailing beside me. Beneath all that, I am touched that she would actually follow me, albeit not without complaints. Deep down, I know that it is because she cannot bear to let me wander around on my own at this hour.

Don't ask me why, but I'm suddenly disgustingly sentimental.

Soon later, the park comes into view and from a distance, I can see Aoi Hyuuga and her brother sitting on a bench. They seem to be engaging in a conversation and somehow, it looks perfectly normal that they are just there, in a chilly night, sitting next to each other, having a perfectly normal conversation. Aoi smiles at something her brother said. When they've noticed our arrival, Aoi Hyuuga's face brightens up immediately while her brother looks mildly surprise but at the same time confuse. I throw Mikan a sideway glance and see that her facial expression is somewhat similar to Aoi Hyuuga's.

Seriously, am I the only one who has his facial expression under control?

"Polka? What are you doing here?" Natsume Hyuuga is the first one to open his mouth and speak. Sitting beside him, Aoi Hyuuga stifles a giggle with her mittens. Mikan, equally surprised looked at him with her eyes wide. But she's smiling, nevertheless.

"You-chan dragged me out here for a walk. What are you doing here?" She asks. They look at each other for a moment longer before an understanding travels between them. Natsume Hyuuga and my sister simultaneously turn their heads and look at Aoi Hyuuga and me.

"Aoi…" Natsume growls murderously. Aoi doesn't feel the least bit intimidated. She continues to flash her pearly whites at him.

"Well, see you guys later, onii-chan and Mikan. Remember what we talked about." She gives a playful wink to her brother and links one arm around mine. "Come on, Youichi, let's give them some space." With that, Aoi Hyuuga pulls me away from our two older siblings. Leaving a slightly fuming Natsume Hyuuga, a rather perplexed Mikan Yukihira and a 'what-the-fuck-is-going-on?' Youichi Yukihira.

But seriously, wha...?

* * *

"Hyuuga, tell me again what are we doing here?"

Aoi Hyuuga pulls the binoculars away from her eyes and looked at me with a tad bit annoyance on her face. Or at least I think she looks annoyed. I can't see a thing in the woods, on the ground, behind a bush, where the only source of light is from the moon. Hyuuga is currently lying on the ground on her stomach, binoculars in hands, spying on Natsume and Mikan. While I'm just sitting beside her. Doing absolutely nothing.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she snaps at me.

"You look like you are spying on them two." I reply calmly. "Say, you remind me of the fan girls in our school, and the fan girls in the high school division. Never thought that you were that type, Bot,"

Aoi Hyuuga ignores me and continues to look through her binoculars. I turn away from her and lie down on the ground, my hands pillowing my hair. Never in a million years will I touch my epicly cool hair to the ground,

Never.

The sky is dark, like all night skies. The moon in the shape of a crescent looks back at me; being in a city, there are not many stars out due to the heavy light pollution. Only a few twinkle back, or the occasional aeroplanes flying past us. B.O.B's song plays in my head. I sigh at this. I remember when I was young, when we were still living in the countryside, everything was beautiful. The star filled the night skies and you can't help but feel safe walking out at night, all alone. Without having to worry people mugging you or raping you.

What has the world come to these days?

"Hyuuga," I call out. She replies with a 'hm?', without even looking at me. "What makes you think that this will make them be together?"

This time, Aoi Hyuuga turns to look at me. "What makes you think they won't?"

I scowl. "Hyuuga, I asked the question." My head turns around to look at her. Her blood-red eyes being very distinctive in the darkness.

"Well, before we left the house, I did talk to onii-chan about it. I hope it worked. I mean, gave him the courage and all. I think the reason why onii-chan won't confess is because he's afraid."

_The_ Natsume Hyuuga being afraid? Well, that's a first. But I make no comment on it and allow Hyuuga to continue. "Maybe, after being so comfortable at being best friends for so many years, onii-chan just doesn't want to break it. Like, if Mikan rejects him or something, what do you think will happen?"

Hmm… When she puts it that way, she does have a point. But then again, it's highly unlikely. "She won't." I tell her.

"Sorry?"

I sigh. Is this girl deaf or something? "I said, she won't. She won't reject him. She loves him, I can tell."

With the help of the faint light from the moon, I see a smile spreading on her lips, stretching them wider and then a grin breaks out. Shit, Aoi Hyuuga looks so much more beautiful at night. Her skin looks more radiant, her eyes look bigger. Maybe she can be the poster girl for a moon goddess or something.

Aoi Hyuuga whispers a 'thanks' before returning to her binoculars, only to gasp. I sit up from the ground immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Aww…" she whispers very softly under my breath. But the silence in the woods has made my hearing increase by tenfold. "They are kissing."

I feel my face twitch. They are kissing? Getting up on my knees, I peer from above the bushes, and just like she said, Natsume Hyuuga and my sister's face are stuck close together. Because of the fact that we are situated rather far away from them, I can't see the exact details, only the outline of a guy and a girl, not the details of their faces or anything, but I guess Aoi Hyuuga can.

Not that I want to see my sister sticking her tongue into another guys throat. That's just disgusting.

I plop my butt back to the ground and look at Aoi Hyuuga. I swear, I wouldn't be surprise if she says that she's unable to remove it from her eyes. They look like they are stuck to her face with glue.

"Oi, Hyuuga. Don't you think you've seen enough? They are already kissing. What more do you want, eh? Your brother bringing my sister to a hotel?"

Hyuuga pulls the binoculars away and look at me, eyes widened in indignation. "Yukihira! You dirty butt hole!" She slaps my arm.

I stifle a laugh and snort instead. "You haven't seen anything yet." Her eyes turn bigger, similar to the size of my mom's plates. Which reminds me, I still have yet to tell Mom that I've chipped one of her expensive ones last night. By accident. I doubt that she will be happy about it though, especially after she saw what happened to the rug when she came home on Saturday.

Oops.

But I guess my message got into her brains because Aoi Hyuuga stands up with a soft sigh after that. She extends a hand towards me.

Looking up at her, I quirk an eyebrow. "What?"

Aoi throws me one of her winsome grin and bends down to grab hold of my hand. With a strong tug, she pulls me onto my feet. She looks like a branch and her hands might be twigs, but do not underestimate her strength.

"You're right. We should give them some privacy. So let's go."

Confuse, I tilt my head to one side. "Go? Where?" My brain fails to register the fact that she still has one hand in mine. Or maybe it's more like mine in hers. Not that I'm complaining. Not that I should not be complaining. Not that I want to complain.

Ah, you get what I mean right? It must be the exhaustion catching up on me and making my brain all fuzzy. From what, I don't know.

Aoi pulls on my hand and together, we walk out of the woods. Not until we reach the road did she let go of my hand. The moment it left mine, my hand feels cold. And almost, just almost, I'm missing the feeling of my hand in hers

"I'll be going home now, Youichi." She says and gives me a wave. She tugs on her coat to wrap it around herself more tightly. I watch as Aoi walk away. One step at a time.

God knows when I've decided to drop her last name.

"Oi, Bot!"

I guess she have already gotten used to her nickname because the moment I called, she stops in her tracks and turn around to look at me.

"What is it, Fanboy?"

Touché.

I pause for a moment, arranging the words in my mind carefully. Aoi stands there, just waiting for me to speak.

"I-uh-want to thank you." For some reasons, I'm nervous. I can feel the sweat breaking out on my palms, despite that the surrounding temperature is probably below ten degrees Celsius. "For Mikan. Y'know. If it weren't for you, maybe she'll never know—how she feels—"

My tongue licks my lips nervously. There's nothing to be afraid of, Youichi, so snap out of it!

"So, yeah. Thanks, Aoi." With a bit of self-couraging, I flick my eyes up to meet her crimson ones. Aoi is looking at me, a smile playing on her lips. Somehow, it's making me want to smile.

"You're welcome, Youichi. Couldn't have done it without you." We stand there, for a minute or so, wondering what to do next. I guess this is what they call an awkward situation. Jesus, it's like in a movie. Like one of Mikan's silly chick flicks.

Aoi shuffles her feet, I guess she is as nervous as I am. "So, I have to go now. Bye, Youichi." With that, she turns around again and walks away.

"Aoi wait!"

Aoi stops but she's not turning around. I jog over to where she's standing and stand beside her. She turns her head and shows me a 'what-are-you-doing?' look. I flash her grin. It's probably the first friendly expression I've given her.

"My house is this way too, Bot."

* * *

That was not as lighthearted as the first one.  
But it is deffo longer.

One question for you: I've already had this rough idea for an extra chapter, but I don't think it's gonna be happy. So, tell me if I should leave this story just like this or add another chapter. But I've changed the story status to 'Complete', just to be safe.

**Reviews are nice.**


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